CAREER: Scalable Electrochemical Exfoliation and Functionalization of Two-Dimensional Atomic Layer Materials for Energy Storage

二维原子层材料有可能通过改善能量和电力性能来彻底改变能量存储设备，包括充电电池。目前，二维材料的现有制造工艺需要高温或复杂的化学处理，这限制了它们的大规模生产。该学院早期职业发展计划(CALEAR)奖研究二维材料的可扩展电化学剥离和功能化，目的是控制它们的结构和性能，用于高性能储能设备。二维材料有多种成分，越来越多地被用于消费电子产品、电动汽车、智能电网和可再生能源系统。生产高质量二维材料的能力对国家经济做出了重大贡献，促进了繁荣和福利。该奖项与NSF的量子飞跃努力非常一致，因为具有可控薄膜厚度和点缺陷的二维材料是量子设备的候选材料，包括传感、计算和通信。这项研究是多学科的，包括制造、电化学和纳米技术，并激励不同背景的学生考虑未来的科学和工程职业。该项目与高中教师合作开发了一个能源教育模块，教授与化学、物理和数学课程相关的能量储存机制以及能量和功率密度的计算。能源教育模块可以通过NSF Includes计划在广泛的代表性不足的学生中进行测试和扩展。与传统的制备二维(2D)原子层材料的制造技术相比，电化学制造工艺具有许多优点，包括成本低、操作简单、生产速度快、原位功能化等，充分利用了电化学工艺的可伸缩性和可控性。然而，为了充分发挥电化学制备2D材料的潜力，还需要克服一些科学障碍，如对电化学剥离的机理理解和控制结构和性能的定量方法。该项目研究了在电化学加工过程中这些材料在制造过程中的全面和一般的膨胀、剥落和功能化机制，特别是作为外加电位的函数的结构变化和气体形成。它评价了电化学加工材料的性能，并建立了工艺参数-结构-性能关系。这项工作可能会将2D材料的制造过程转变为高度可扩展和可控的过程，可以为特定的目标应用制造结构和性能可调的2D纳米材料。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Two-dimensional atomic layer materials have the potential to revolutionize energy storage devices, including rechargeable batteries, by improving energy and power performances. Currently, available manufacturing processes for two-dimensional materials require high temperatures or complex chemical treatment, which limits their large-scale production. This Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award investigates scalable electrochemical exfoliation and functionalization of two-dimensional materials with the aim of controlling their structures and properties for high-performance energy storage devices. Two-dimensional materials come in many compositions and are increasingly utilized in consumer electronics, electric vehicles, smart grids, and renewable energy systems. The capability to produce high quality two-dimensional materials contributes significantly to the nation's economy and advances prosperity and welfare. The award aligns well with NSF's Quantum Leap effort because two-dimensional materials with controlled film thickness and point defects are candidate materials for quantum devices, including sensing, computing and communicating. This research is multidisciplinary, including manufacturing, electrochemistry and nanotechnology, and motivates students with diverse backgrounds to consider future careers in science and engineering. The project develops an energy education module in collaboration with high school teachers to teach energy storage mechanisms and calculation of energy and power densities tied with chemistry, physics, and math curricula. The energy education module can be tested and expanded over a broad range of underrepresented students through NSF INCLUDES program. The electrochemical manufacturing process has many advantages over conventional manufacturing techniques of fabricating two-dimensional (2D) atomic layer materials, including low-cost, simple operation, rapid production rate, and in-situ functionalization, by taking advantage of scalable and controllable nature of the electrochemical process. However, some scientific barriers, such as mechanistic understanding of electrochemical exfoliation and quantitative methods for controlling the structure and properties, need to be overcome in order to realize the full potential of electrochemical manufacturing of 2D materials. This project investigates comprehensive and general expansion, exfoliation and functionalization mechanisms during the manufacture of these materials in electrochemical processing, specifically, structural changes and gas formation as a function of applied potential. It evaluates properties of the electrochemical processed materials, and establishes processing parameter-structure-property relationships. The work can potentially transform the manufacturing process of 2D materials into a highly scalable and controllable process that can fabricate structure- and property-tuned 2D nanomaterials for specific target applications.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.